Braille writing device



Sept. 9, 1958 A. MANNHEIMER BRAILLE WRITING DEVICE Filed July 29. 1955 ALBERT MANNHEIMER INVENTOR.

Byjewfimg HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent C BRAILLE WRITING DEVICE Albert Mannheimer, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,158

2 Claims. (Cl. 35-38) This invention relates to a braille writing device for use in communicating with persons who are blind.

In the braille writing system, words and arithmetical symbols are all formed'as characters comprising various combinations of a basic pattern of raised portions disposed in two parallel rows of three spaced units each.

The conventional simplified device now in use for writing lbraille characters comprises a metal slate having two elongated layers and a punch. A piece of heavy paper appro-aching cardboard in thickness is inserted between the layers of the slate. The top layer of the slate is provided with guides indicating the positioning of the characters and the units thereof. The bottom -layer of the slate is provided with rounded depressions which are aligned with the guides. The bottom of the punch is rounded in a manner corresponding to the rounded depressions. The punch is used to press the paper into the depressions to form raised portions in the pattern of braille characters. Y

The principal diiculty with such devices is that the punch forms the raised portions on the `opposite lside of the paper. When the paper is turned over to read the characters, it is necessarily reversed. It is thus necessary to use the punch completely in reverse, working from right to left instead of from left to right and forming each character completely in reverse. This is extremely difficult to accomplish and makes the learning and use of braille writing considerably more complex, discouraging many persons who are blind or who desire to communicate with the blind from undertaking the task.

It is an object of my invention to'overcome these difficulties by providing a braille writing device which is simple to use and in which the characters may be formed from left to right and in their proper order and arrangement. The characters are thus written in exactly the same manner in which they are read and the writing of braille is rendered no more difl'lcult than its reading.

Another advantage of my invention is that it permits the reader to read back or check over the characters which he has written without removing the paper from the slate and without reversing it, both of which have previously been necessary.

In essence, my invention contemplates a braille writing device comprising a slate which is formed of two layers. The top layer is provided with guide means which are considerably enlarged from those previously used. The bottom layer of the slate is provided with a plurality of upwardly directed projections which are substantially hemispherical in shape. A punch is provided, the end of which is hollowed out in a hemispherical shape roughly complementary to that of the projections. In use, the punch is used from left to right, causing the raised characters to lbe formed on top of the paper rather than on the bottom, as has been done heretofore.

It is also among the objects of my invention to provide such a device which is simple and economical to construct and which may be sold at a low price for widespread use.

My invention also comprises such other objects, ad-

Patented Sept.'9, 1958 ICC vantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

With reference to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my writing slate with the top layer thereof partially broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side view of my writing slate;

Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of one end of my writ- Y ing slate with a piece of paper inserted therein;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-.4 of Fig; l;

F ig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of my punch and a fragment of my writing slate to indicate their cooper.-V ative use; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the bottom of the shank of the punch, showing the recess formedthere- A preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises an elongated writing slate 10, which is preferably formed of metal, although other suitable materials may also be used. The slate 10 comprises a top layer 11 and a ibottom layer 12, which are pivotally attached at one end thereof by a pair of hinges 13.

The top layer 11 -is provided with four parallel rows of `openings 14, with the rows extending longitudinally along slate 10. Each opening 14 is provided with three arcuate portions 16 on each side thereof corresponding to the basic pattern of braille units.

The bottom layer 12 is provided with a plurality of pro,- jections 15 which are arranged in the corresponding braille pattern of two parallel rows having three spaced projections each. The projections 15 extend upwardly from the top surface of the bottom layer 12 and are substantially hemispherical in shape, as best seen in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The projections 15 are aligned with open ings 14 in such a manner that each arcuate portion 16 is substantially concentric with a projection 15. The arcuate portions 16 are larger than and surround the projections 15.

The bottom layer 12 is provided with a substantially rectangular raised portion or land 17, which extends around the entire area containing projections 15. The height `of land 17 is substantially equal to that o f projections 15. Four studs 18 extend upwardly from land 17 adjacent to the fourg' corners of bottom layer 12. The top layer 11 is provided with four openings 19 which are aligned with and adapted to receive studs 18 when layers 11 and 12 are brought together.

A reinforcing ridge 20 extends longitudinally along the center `of top layer 11 to strengthen it. The end of top layer 11 is provided with a semi-circular raised portion 21, so that a nger tip may be inserted therebeneath to raise top layer 11 from bottom layer 12.

A punch 22 which is used with my slate 10 comprises a rounded handle portion 23 and a shank 24. The end of shank 24 is provided with a rounded recess 25, which extends inwardly. Recess 25 is hemispherical in contour and corresponds substantially to the shape of projections 15, being complementary thereto.

In use, a piece of paper 26 of the type ordinarily used in braille writing is inserted between the layers 11 and 12 of writing slate 10. As the layers are brought together, studs 18 push through the paper 26 and extend through openings 19 in top layer 11. The paper is thus held so that it cannot move or shift with respect to the slate 10. The paper rests upon land 17. Since land 17 is substantially equal in height to projections 15, the

paper 26 is held closely adjacent to projections 15 but is not punctured or deformed thereby.

The punch 22 is grasped by its handle portion 23 and moved so that its shank ,24 is disposed in one'of the openings 14 in top layer 11. The outer circumference of shank 24 is substantially identical in contour with the arcuate portions 16 of openings 14. If shank 24 is disposed so that its outer circumference bears against the edge of an arcuate portion 16, the recess in the bottom of shank 24 is aligned with the projection 15 therebeneath.Y When the punch is moved downwardly, the end of shank 24 forces the paper 26 downwardly around the projection 15. The recess 25 and projections 15 combine to form a substantially hemispherical raised portion on paper 26. This process `is continued as many times as necessary to form the desired braille characters.

It will be noted that if a mistake occurs, or if the Writer wants to check what has been written, he need only lift top player 11 by using raised portion 21. He can then check visually or by touch what has been written on paper 26.

The punch or stylus 22 which comprises part of my invention provides an efiicient and easy to use method of forming the desired raised portions in the form of braille characters on the upper surface of the paper. It will be noted that the stylus has no moving parts and that the stylus need only be disposed so that its shank engages one of the guide means in the upper layer of the slate. When this is done, the hemispherical recess 25 in the body of the shank 24 is automatically aligned with one of the projections 15. The punch 22 need then only be moved directly downwardly by manual pressure on the' handle portion 23. This simple and direct motion forms the desired raised portion on the upper surface ofv the paper.

With my stylus and slate combination, nothing can go out of order because there are no moving parts. It is therefore simple for a blind person to learn to operate and to operate my device.

The simpliiied and efficient construction of my punch further results in a more economical construction which can be manufactured at a lower cost for more widespread use. It will thus be seen that my braille writing device is simple in construction and operation, and its ease of use is a considerable benefit to the blind and persons desiring to communicate with the blind.

I claim:

l. A braille writing device comprising an elongated substantially rectangular slate, said slate comprising a substantially ilat top layer and a substantially flat bottom layer, said layers being pivotally attached to each other at one end thereof, said top layer having a plurality of spaced openings therein, each of said openings having three arcuate portions in each side thereof, said bottom layer having a plurality of integral projections extending upwardly therefrom, each of said projections being substantially hemispherical in contour, one of said projections being aligned with and disposed concentrieally beneath each of the arcuate portions of said openings,

said bottom layer having a rectangular raised portion` projections, the height of said raised portion being substantially equal to the height of said projections, a punch having a circular shank with an outer circumference substantially identical with that of said arcuate portions, said shank having a hemispherical recess in the bottom thereof, said recess being substantially complementary in shape to said projections, a plurality of studs extending upwardly from said raised portion, said top layer having a hole therein aligned with each of said studs, said slate adapted to receive and hold a piece of paper, said paper resting upon said raised portion, said punch adapted to be inserted in the openings in said top layer so that the Y outer circumference of said shank is disposed within one of said arcuate portions, the recess in the end of said shank being thereby aligned with the projection disposed therebeneath, said punch adapted to be moved downwardly to press said paper around said projection to forrn a raised portion on the upper surface of said paper.

2. A braille Writing device comprising an elongated substantially rectangular slate, said slate comprising a substantially at top layer and a substantially flat bottom layer, said layers being pivotally attached to each other at one end thereof, said top layer having a plurality of spaced openings therein, each of said openings having three arcuate portions in each side thereof, said bottom layer having a plurality of integral projections extending upwardly therefrom, each of said projections being substantially hemispherical in contour, one of said projections being aligned with and disposed concentrically beneath each of the arcuate portions of said openings,

said `bottom layer having a raised portion, the heightV of said raised portion being substantially equal to the height of said projections, a punch having a circular shank with an outer circumference substantially identical with that of said arcuate portions, said shank having a hemispherical recess in the bottom thereof, said recess being substantially complementary in shape to said projections, said slate adapted to receive and hold a piece of paper, said paper resting upon said raised portion, said punch adapted to beinserted in the openings in said top layer so that the outer circumference of said shank is disposed within one of said arcuate portions, the recess in the end of said shank being thereby'aligned with the projection disposed therebeneath, said punch adapted to be moved downwardly to press saidpaper around said projection to form a raised portion on the upper surface of said paper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 506,718 Orndorf Oct. 17, 1893 1,293,023 Bryan et al. Feb. 4, 1919 1,998,063 Wessborg Apr. 16, 1935 2,190,752 Brown u Feb. 20, 1940 2,616,198 Sewell Nov. 4, 1952 2,823,468 Mora Feb. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,720` Great Britain 1898 370,492 Italy Apr. 18, 1939 

